Calvin Harris and Avicii can STFU – David Guetta was the original Euro-transplant pioneering EDM in American pop music before you even realized you’d heard him before.
Remember 2009’s little hit “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas? The song that holds the record for selling the most digital copies of any song ever? Yeah, that was produced by him.
And who tapped into the Aussie vocal talent that is Sia long before Flo Rida ever called her up to sing a hook? Right. Also Guetta.
And long before the producer ventured into the bizarro landscape of American Top 40 (which, compared to international charts, was severely lacking in dance music until about two years ago), he was making a name for himself in Europe with over 40 charting singles, including 18 top ten hits in his native France.
Now how does that make Avicii, who hasn’t even released his debut album yet, look? Sigh.
Guetta was the first to master the art of the American pop collab, which successfully broke him into the U.S. market and paved the way for all the Calvin Harris-es to come.
Here my top 5 Guetta collaborations with American artists. Let’s get nostalgic for 2010, y’all.
5. “When Love Takes Over,” featuring Kelly Rowland
4. “Missing You,” featuring Novel (son of Motown’s Mickey Stevenson)
3. “Where Them Girls At,” featuring Nicki Minaj and Flo Rida
2. “Sexy Bitch (Chick),” featuring Akon
1. “Who’s that Bitch (Chick),” featuring Rihanna
*BONUS*
“Stay,” featuring gospel singer Chris Willis
Also, can we talk about how solid Guetta is at holding his own against 20-something singers in music videos, despite being a married, 45-year-old father of two? Yeah.
POP JUMPER 